Overview
- Named Silver Belle, the 53-foot red fir is the first U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree sourced from Nevada, harvested in the Carson Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
- The public viewed the tree in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday at the Civic Center and Carolyn G. Goodman Plaza during an event hosted by the Vegas Chamber, the city, and the U.S. Forest Service.
- The tour has included Carson City, Elko, Lovelock, and Ely, with the next leg taking the tree to Hoover Dam and into Arizona en route to Washington, D.C.
- Organizers expected 10,000 handmade ornaments for the display, but about 23,000 have been created by Nevadans, according to the project lead.
- The tree travels in a transparent truck and is kept fresh with a water bladder that supplies 30 to 40 gallons daily, with a lighting planned at the Capitol by Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony and student essay winner Grady Armstrong.